Ex-priest to be sentenced for abuse, Belfast Telegraph (March 24, 2014)

Ex-priest to be sentenced for abuse

Belfast Telegraph
March 24, 2014

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/expriest-to-be-sentenced-for-abuse-30119430.html

Francis Paul Cullen was traced to Spain with the help of the Catholic Church's safeguarding board

A Dublin-born former priest who spent more than two decades on the run in Spain is to be sentenced in the UK for sexually assaulting seven children.

Francis Paul Cullen, 85, was extradited to the UK last year to face charges of indecent assault and other sexual offences after being traced to Tenerife.

Cullen, who was located with the help of the Catholic Church's safeguarding board, pleaded guilty last month to 21 charges relating to offences committed between 1957 and 1991.

The crimes against children aged between six and 16 took place in the UK while Cullen was a priest in Mackworth and Buxton, both Derbyshire, and Hyson Green, Nottingham.

Cullen, who has been warned that he faces a "very substantial" term in custody, will be sentenced at Derby Crown Court.

The clergyman fled to Tenerife in 1991 while facing charges of sexual assault brought by Nottinghamshire Police.